“Run With U” is the title of the song that will be performed by the band Mamagama, representing Azerbaijan in the first semi-final of Eurovision 2025, which will take place on May 13 in Basel, Switzerland. The song was written by band member Safael Mishiyev, along with Roman Zee and KHVS. This is the first Eurovision entry for these songwriters. The song is sung in English.

The song “Run with U” opens with the description of a powerful and thrilling experience in which the rhythm pulls the singer into the surrounding sensations and energies. The dialogue between the words points to an electric and exciting nature of the encounter, where every glance and every movement evoke strong emotions that cannot be resisted. The chorus invites to leave behind the fears and to step into the dim light, playing with the rules until they become right, while the heartbeat takes over the body and soul.

Continuing, the song describes how the night is young and the beat is tight, and there is something in the air that makes the singer fall in love. The descriptions convey a feeling of renewal and truthfulness in every laugh and every touch, and focusing on the present moment leads to an inescapable state. The song ends with a repeated invitation to escape together, regardless of what happens tonight, with the goal to run together, focusing on the shared experience and the present moment.

The Azerbaijani national broadcaster, İTV, revealed earlier this month that the band Mamagama has been chosen to represent Azerbaijan in Eurovision 2025. A committee from the national broadcaster received 154 songs, with approximately 49% written by local composers and 51% by foreign writers. The broadcaster narrowed down the list of submitted songs under a list of hints, aimed at allowing the audience to guess the committee’s choice. This approach differed from last year when they announced the shortlisting of artists in several stages, which sparked numerous theories on social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit. Azerbaijan is among the countries that typically disclose the least information about the selection process of their representative and song for Eurovision. In its early participations, its representatives were also chosen through various platforms, but all of its songs without exception have been selected through an internal selection process.

Mamagama – Who Are You?

Mamagama is an Azerbaijani band consisting of Allahverdi Gumbatli, Bahruz Afandiyev, and Safael Mishiyev. The band was formed after Allahverdi and Bahruz’s previous band disbanded following seven years of activity, leaving them feeling disappointed and depressed. After an extensive search for a lead vocalist to complete the lineup, they met Safael and chose him as the band’s frontman. The band released the song “As It Was” in 2022, collaborating with Eurovision 2011 winner, Eldar Gasimov. In 2023, their song “River” reached the final selection stage of the committee choosing the song for Eurovision 2023.

The band name is composed of two words: Mama – the ultimate creator, the source of life, the force that nurtures the world. Gama – the full spectrum of sound, the highest frequencies, the musical scales that stretch across time and space.

The band is one of the most energetic and original bands on Azerbaijan’s music scene. The band has wowed audiences at music festivals and contests, including a winning performance at Albania’s Eurovision national selection in 2022 with the song “Dreamer.”

Lyrics – “Run With U”:

Rhythm pulls me out, don’t know where to start
You electrify, never felt so high
Every glance you’re giving
Every move I’m feeling
I cannot resist, pure in every twist

Shall we dim the lights
Leave our fears behind
Play wrong ’til it’s right
Give it all tonight?
Heartbeat takes control
Moves my body and soul
Just one look at me
And I can’t stand the heat

Shadows in the neon light
The night is young, the beat is tight
Something in the air that makes me fall for you
The way I do, uh-huh
Thе way I do, uh-huh
The way I do, uh-huh
The way I do, uh-huh

No matter what you do tonight
I wanna run with you, I wanna run with you
No mattеr what you do tonight
I wanna run with you, I wanna run with you

Running with me
Running, let’s go

Shooting to the stars, can’t get enough so far
You make me feel brand-new, never felt this true
Every laugh you’re giving, every touch I’m living
And I can’t pull away, caught up in the play

Shall we dim the lights
Leave our fears behind
Play wrong ’til it’s right
Give it all the way I do?

The way I do, uh-huh
The way I do, uh-huh
The way I do, uh-huh
The way I do, uh-huh

No matter what you do tonight
I wanna run with you, I wanna run with you
No matter what you do tonight
I wanna run with you, I wanna run with you

Eurovision 2025: This will be Azerbaijan’s 17th participation in Eurovision. Azerbaijan joined the contest in 2008 and achieved its best result in Eurovision 2011 when singers Ell and Nikki, won first place with the song “Running Scared”.